Project management business trainee at BAE Systems

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

9/10

Project Management Higher apprentice. On placement for 3 years which last 4 months around the business in different areas which include project management offices, planning, project controls, risk, stakeholder management etc. All the placements directly relate to the competencies in which we need to tick off for our higher apprenticeship. I go to college 1 day a week in which i do a Project management foundation degree and a PM higher apprenticeship. We have over 100 competencies to tick off which require a review to sign off and evidence needs to be provided, on more than 1 occasion for some competencies. i think that they are the correct level of difficulty to ensure that we stretch ourselves, but also can cover them off in the 3 year period provided to us. I have not yet had any experience on the exams for the apprenticeship.

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

10/10

As mentioned we have over 100 competencies to tick off, and in order to tick them off we have to learn new skills. Developing on existing skills is done through having to tick some off more than once. I have improved mostly on stakeholder management.

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

10/10

I do enjoy the programme however some of the placements (eg. planning) are a bit slow and less competencies can be covered off as there isnt enough opportunities to take on extra work load. This is evened out by some very busy placements with lots of opportunities.

4. How valued do you feel by BAE Systems?

3/10

This differs between placements due to previous mentioned work load & opportunities. I currently feel very valued in my team. In other placements i have felt more like a burden than an extra resource.

5. How well organised/structured is your programme?

10/10

very well organised due to a wide coverage of placements throughout the 3 years. i feel like the 4 months placements are the perfect length to learn new things and not get bored before moving on to a new one.

6a. How much support do you receive from your training provider?

10/10

Our college tutors are very supportive whenever we need help with anything to do with the higher apprenticeship, and our training manager will offer help when needed.

6b. How much support do you receive from your employer?

10/10

Again this differs in every placement however our "Early careers" managemer and our functional manager are extremely supportive and I always feel as though I can ask them for help.

7. How well does your salary/package meet your costs?

10/10

Very well we have a starting salary of £17500 with pay rises every 6 month which are performance based. this meets my costs very well i have no issues with pay.

8. Are there many opportunities outside of work?

10/10

Yes the graduate and higher apprenticeship community provides lots of social interaction events such as christmas nights out, bowling tournaments, a rounders team etc. there are opportunities for all people to engage with more people from work.

9a. Would you recommend BAE Systems to a friend? *

Yes

9b. Why? *

very accessible for all people who live in the furness area. there are plenty of opportunities for different ages to find a job that you enjoy. I would specifcially recommend the HA scheme because i did not want to go to university and this was a perfect opportunity for me to still recieve higher education.

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to BAE Systems? *

To be confident in asking questions even if you think they are stupid questions. Be prepared to work long weeks and take home extra work (for college degree).